Have you ever wondered if your sentences could be structured differently? Do you think the sentence would convey the same meaning even after you change the order of words, or would it give any meaning at all? This article will answer these questions by walking you through the particular word order you will have to follow when framing sentences in the English language. Go through all the points carefully and analyse the examples given to understand and comprehend how it works. The term ‘word order’, as the name suggests, refers to the sequence or order in which words are to be placed in a sentence. Take a look at the following dictionary definitions to have a broader understanding of what word order is. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, word order is defined as “the order or arrangement of words in a phrase, clause, or sentence”, and the Collins Dictionary defines word order as “the arrangement of words in a phrase, clause, or sentence. In many languages, including English, word order plays an important part in determining meanings expressed in other languages by inflections”. The Macmillan Dictionary defines the same as “the sequence in which words generally occur, especially in a clause or sentence”. You might ask why following the word order is such a big deal. Well, placing even one word differently can change the meaning of the sentence completely. Take a look at the following example to learn how a change in the word order will affect the meaning of the sentence on the whole. In all these four sentences, the word ‘only’ is used in four different positions. Do you think all of them mean the same thing? No, they don’t. The first sentence means that the person likes non-vegetarian dishes, and the second sentence means that only that person and no one else likes non-vegetarian dishes. The third and fourth sentences mean that the person likes non-vegetarian dishes and nothing else. The two different positions of the word ‘only’ are used just to shift the stress. The general structure of a sentence or the order of words in a sentence is Subject (S) + verb (V) + object (O). Remember that a sentence should always have a subject and predicate and that the subject comes first. However, there are sentences, such as imperative sentences and interrogative sentences, that have different sentence structures. The English language also happens to be one of the languages that have words that sound the same but mean different things, and also some words which can be used as different parts of speech with or without inflections. This should be reason enough, but even without these, it is impossible to make sense of whatever you are saying unless you place the words in the order that it has to be placed. Now, a subject, verb and object are not the only components of a sentence. There can be complements and adjuncts as well that add to the meaning of the sentence. Complements are to be positioned either after the verb or before the object. Adjuncts, on the other hand, can be placed in the beginning, middle or end. There also can be multiple adjectives and adverbs in a sentence. There are certain rules to be followed when you are writing such sentences. Let us look at each of them in the section that follows. Here are rules that have to be followed when you write different sentences. Check out each one of them and the examples given to see how each rule is applied. Every assertive sentence has a subject and a predicate. Dona and Steve / are going to the mall. The word ‘not’ is normally used to indicate a negative thought. So, when a sentence has to be made negative, the word ‘not’ usually comes after the verb. In case there is more than one verb, it comes after the main verb and in between the main verb and the helping verb. In some cases, the verb forms of ‘do’ are used to write a negative sentence. Go through the following examples to understand. There has not been any update on the condition of the patient. Sarah did not wear a black dress though we had informed her earlier. If you had analysed how interrogative sentences are structured, you would have seen that the positions of the subject and the verb are interchanged. Look at the examples given below. Complements are of two types – the subject complement and the object complement. The sentence structure of sentences with complements can be SVC (if it is a subject complement) and SVCO/SVOC (if it is an object complement). Here are some examples for your reference. Adverbs, adverbial phrases, adverb clauses and prepositional phrases can act as adjuncts and can appear any number of times and be placed anywhere in a sentence. Due to this very reason, there are rules to help you decide where you have to position them. The common sentence structures are SVA, ASVA. SVAA, ASVAA, SVOA, SVCA, etc. Look at the following examples. After we finish our work, we will help you out. When there is just one object in a sentence, you need not have a second thought as it comes after the verb. What do you do when you have two objects? Are both the same? No, one is a direct object, and the other is an indirect object. In sentences with an indirect object, the indirect object is placed after the verb and before the direct object, the sentence pattern being SVIODO. In other cases, the indirect object becomes a part of a prepositional phrase. Here are some examples to help you understand. My mother gave me a big white teddy bear for my birthday. There was a huge circular compartment in the cupboard. I am wearing a red soft silk Banarasi saree for my best friend’s wedding. The fifty-six year old historical arts museum is being demolished. Adverbs have the special quality of being used multiple times and being placed anywhere in a sentence. However, there are a few pointers that would help you position the multiple adverbs so that you do not simply stuff your sentences with adverbs but make meaningful sentences. The position of the adverb is based on which part of speech it is modifying. If it is modifying the verb, it is placed after the verb; if it is modifying the adjective, it is placed before the adjective, and if it is modifying another adverb, it is placed just before the adverb it is modifying. Also, if it is an adverb of frequency, it is positioned after the subject. On the other hand, adverbs of time are always positioned either at the beginning or at the end of the sentence. If you have all types of adverbs in a sentence, put them in this order – manner, place, frequency and time. Take a look at the following examples. Brittany was extremely angry with the way the officials spoke to her parents. They always take the 9 a.m. bus to college. Go through the following jumbled sentences and order them adhering to the word order rules so that it makes complete meaning. Also, punctuate them appropriately. Here are the answers for the exercise on word order. Go through them to find out if you have rearranged the sentences correctly according to the rules of word order. 2. She happily gave me her piece of cake. 3. The little boy kicked the ball the moment the whistle was blown. 6. She kept running in circles until she fell. 9. There are sixty red American apples in the basket. 10. There was an accident in front of our school yesterday morning. The term ‘word order’, as the name suggests, refers to the sequence or order in which words are to be placed in a sentence. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, word order is defined as “the order or arrangement of words in a phrase, clause, or sentence”, and the Collins Dictionary defines word order as “the arrangement of words in a phrase, clause, or sentence. In many languages, including English, word order plays an important part in determining meanings expressed in other languages by inflections”. The Macmillan Dictionary defines the same as “the sequence in which words generally occur, especially in a clause or sentence”. The basic rules of word order are as follows. An interrogative sentence is formed with the reversal of the positions of the subject and the verb. When multiple adjectives are used in a sentence, position the adjectives according to the order of adjectives. When multiple adverbs are used in a sentence, place the adverb of time in the beginning or end, the adverb describing the verb after the verb, and the adverb describing the adjective before it. Complements come after the verb or the object in a sentence. The indirect object comes after the verb and before the direct object. The prepositional phrase is placed after the verb or after the object in the sentence. Q5 Give some examples of word order in sentences. Here are a few examples of sentences with word order for your reference. Brittany was extremely angry with the way the officials spoke to her parents. I am wearing a red soft silk Banarasi saree for my best friend’s wedding. After we finish our work, we will help you out. Sarah did not wear a black dress though we had informed her earlier.